Upgrading to a Larger Aquarium

Moving Your Fish to a Healthier and Larger Home

(The First Tank Guide)

When setting up a new tank, I recommend
setting up the tank and letting it run for at least a day to check
that the tank does not leak, and that the
equipment all works, and to get the temperature stabilized, then
introducing the first fish to try to get the cycle going. However, when moving to a larger
tank, you are better off setting up the new tank using as much equipment and water from the old tank as possible,
and immediately introducing the old fish
to their new tank. However, I do not recommend getting any new fish
until you are sure the tank is stable.

Rinse all the equipment for the new fish
tank, including the gravel, filter media, any
decorations, and, of
course, the fish tank itself in cool, running tap water. This will
remove any debris from manufacture, packaging, storage, or shipping
and should reduce the cloudiness you'll
experience with this new fish tank at first.

Place the new aquarium where you want it, set up the equipment and get everything ready to
go for the new aquarium.

Net the fish and carefully place
them in one of these buckets of water from the old fish tank. Make
sure that the buckets you are using have no residue from soaps or
detergents, to prevent the toxicity of these chemicals from harming
your fish.

Scoop the gravel out of the old tank and place it in the new
tank, then add the water from your buckets to the new tank, leaving
the bucket with the fish in it for later. If this is enough water to
get the filter started, do so. Also Place the filter from the old tank
on the new tank at this time and start it (after a few weeks, once the
new filter is established, you can remove the old filter if
necessary). You'll want this old filter on the new tank to help keep
the biological filter stable during the transition. You should also
take this opportunity to set up your decorations in the new
tank. Remember, even the decorations in your tank will contain
beneficial bacteria for your biological filter, so feel free to
use those as well.

If this is enough water for the fish to swim freely, gently net the fish out of the bucket and
place them in the new tank. If this is not enough water for the fish
to be able to swim freely, you will want to add fresh dechlorinated tap water to the tank until
you have enough water for the fish to be able to swim around. Once you
have introduced the fish to the new tank, add the water that they were
in to the new tank.

Top off the tank with fresh dechlorinated tap water. Do your best to
keep the water you are adding to the tank close to the temperature of
the water that is in the tank. This helps to minimize the stress to
the fish and the biological
filter due to the move. Floating or standing aquarium thermometers
are available at most pet stores, and are
fairly inexpensive. Also, the average human hand can differentiate
between temperatures within about 1/2° Fahrenheit (1/4°
Celsius), so keeping the temperature close should not be much of a
problem. If your water heater runs out of hot water, feel free to let
the tank sit while more water is heated.

After you have the new tank filled, let it sit for at least half
an hour, then plug in the aquarium heater and
begin the process of setting the
heater to the correct temperature.

Feed sparingly and do not introduce any new fish for at least 4
weeks to make sure the tank stabilizes well. This will give the
bacteria for the biological
filter time to populate your new filters and will allow the fish a chance to
get used to the new tank. Some time around three or four weeks in you
can remove the old filter from the new fish tank. This should have
given the new filter time to start growing a colony of the beneficial
bacteria that will process the fish's waste. watch the tank closely
for at least three weeks after removing the old filter for any signs of
ammonia stress, as a few extra water changes may be necessary as the
tank finishes stabilizing.

Once your new tank is set up, remember to watch the fish as though
you were cycling the tank again. Following
the instructions provided above, you are not likely to have to go
through much of this process again, however, it is a possibility. Of
course, your new tank will still require regular water changes and routine
maintenance of the filters, and the same
loving care your fish received in their old home.

Setting up a new aquarium can be an
exciting adventure and a source of fun for the whole family - even
if you have had an aquarium before.